The Rise of Victorian Caricature

This book serves as a retrieval and reevaluation of a rich haul of comic caricatures from the turbulent years between the Reform Bill crisis of the early 1830s and the rise and fall of Chartism in the 1840s. With a telling selection of illustrations, this book deploys the techniques of close reading and political contextualization to demonstrate the aesthetic and ideological clout of a neglected tranche of satirical prints and periodicals dismissed as ineffectual by historians or distasteful by contemporaries. The prime exhibits are the work of Robert Seymour and C.J. Grant giving acerbic comic edge to the case for reform against class and state oppression and the excesses of the monarchical regime under the young Queen Victoria.

Looks at the politically-engaged literary and visual culture in the era of the 'making' of the English working class Analyses the Reform Bill crisis as the starting point for various innovations in the re-presentation of caricature as a multiple, popular form Provides a comprehensive narrative of a period of unique caricature activity in which anti-government and pro-Chartist ideology was in the ascendancy and was indisputably popular in intent

Auteur

Ian Haywood is Professor of English at Roehampton University, UK, and Director of the Centre for Research in Romanticism. He is co-organiser of two international research networks: 'Romantic Illustration Network', and 'Anglo-Hispanic Horizons 1780-1840'. Previous works include Romanticism and Illustration, edited by Ian Haywood, Susan Matthews and Mary Shannon, and Spain in British Romanticism (Palgrave, 2018), edited by Diego Saglia and Ian Haywood. He was also President of the British Association of Romantic Studies (BARS) 2015-19.

Résumé

"Haywood unpacks the amazingly complicated and inventive imagery, shared by words and pictures in the 1830s and purposed by the radical press to expose the myths of a united nation. ... Haywood's and Maidment's books are seriously and importantly relevant to any reconsideration of Dickens's work through the 1830s and 1840s." (Robert L. Patten, The Dickensian, Vol. 117 (515), Winter, 2021)

"Ian Haywood's The Rise of Victorian Caricature is a book that takes caricature seriously as having played a variety of important cultural and political roles in the 1830s. ... A comparison between the visual cultures associated with the three Reform Acts would make for fascinating reading and viewing." (Dominic Janes, Victorian Studies, Vol. 64 (1), 2021)

"In this impressive volume of visual, cultural, and social history, Haywood captures the sense of urgency and emotive responses to the politics of the day, while his carefully chosen illustrations introduce readers to the broader themes of class, antigovernment, and pro-Chartist ideology." (Rose Roberto, BAVS Newsletter, 2021)

"Haywood's detailed analysis, subtle points regarding social class distinctions, and numerous examples of broadsheets and their caricatures all render this book at once wide-ranging and specific. The Rise of Victorian Caricature represents a valuable contribution to studies of visual and print culture and an indispensable resource for research into the history of political caricature in Victorian periodicals." (Jo Devereux, Victorian Periodicals Review, Vol. 53 (3), 2020)

"Besides illuminating caricature, this book enriches our understanding of so many other key fields that it should be required reading in British history courses. ... [Haywood] sheds a volume of new light on the evolving class system. ... Along with the highest quality of reproduction and all the work required to gain rights and permissions, this wealth of illustrative material should be applauded." (Richard Scully, Review19, nbol-19.org, October 17, 2020)

Contenu

1. Introduction.- 2. Re-forming caricature: political crisis and the reinvention of the satirical image 18301832.- 3. Everybody's caricature: Charles Jameson Grant.- 4. The Reform Hurricane: radical satirical broadsheets.- 5. The Chartist Carnival.- 6. Laughing at Victoria: A Queen in Caricature.